Gone with the Shadows
by obsessivereader95
Summary: Dealing with the shadows has never been a pleasant experience. Melinda can never see the ever-present threat against her family and friends... until now. Possibly AU. I'm a bit behind on watching the show. Updates will be sporadic.


**Well, this idea won't quit** **bugging me. Technically, I'm not even supposed to be on my laptop (health issues… not fun), but I'm too addicted. I realize I'm pathetic. **

**I don't own **_**Ghost Whisperer**_** or any of **_**The Grudge**_** movies.**

"_On my own pretending he's beside me." - "On My Own" (_Les Miserables_)_

The night sky was lit up with twinkling stars, the grass soft beneath her feet. A cool breeze drifted in a small caress around her shoulders. Melinda took a deep, blissful breath. The serenity of the moment did not pass her by, as it was so rare to have even a moment of peace. She slowed her pace.

"Mom, hurry up! We're gonna miss the pumpkin contest!" Aiden's youthful voice made her chuckle. On a night like tonight, Halloween no less, she had expected horrors and giggling children scrambling to the next door to reach the treasure that lay inside the small, decorative buckets. What she had not expected was to be out and about on All Hallows Eve to help her son enter a competition without a single ghost in sight.

She smiled lightly at the hope in her son's eyes. He'd been looking forward to this for quite some time. "Why don't you go catch up with your dad, sweetie," she suggested.

He shrugged in response. "Okay," he said as he ran to reach Jim.

Melinda brought herself to a complete stop to fully enjoy the moment. The possibilities of Melinda getting a second to herself, though, were near impossible.

A sudden chill rent the air, causing her to pull her thin sweater closer to her body. Recognizing the telltale signs of a ghost, she called out in an exasperated voice, "Who's there?"

The sound of a cat wailing in the throes of death immediately filled the air around her, coming from behind. She slowly turned to face it.

What her eyes beheld could easily have outstripped the creepy scenarios she had imagined before leaving her home. A sallow, white face leered at her through black eyes. Its black maw was emitting the cat-like sounds. Framing its pale hair was a shock of jet-black hair. It wore torn, bleached pants and a baggy shirt. Surrounding its haggard appearance was an ethereal glow that made its contrasting black hair, eyes, and mouth even more eerie.

It staggered toward her, hands outstretched and grasping.

Unable to move due to the pure terror, she screamed.

The thing suddenly covered its ears and shouted, "What?"

Surprised, she stopped mid-scream.

"Y-you can see me?" it asked. She nodded mutely, not really trusting her voice. "Oh. Oh, crud!" The pale face melted into tan while the demolished white clothes became a green t-shirt and blue jeans. Black eyes became green and the eerie glow stayed the way it was, though it seemed far less intimidating. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know anyone could see me! I've been doing this all night and no one's–"

"Wait a second, you've been doing this all night?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, I didn't think anyone could see me!" he defended.

"That's no excuse for trying to terrify the town." She scolded him as if he were just another child.

He was growing frustrated. "It's not terrorizing if–"

"No one can see you?" she cut him off with a raised eyebrow, causing him to blush. He rubbed the back of his intangible neck nervously.

"Heh, heh. Well, I wasn't trying to scare people, honest." Light green eyes met deep brown and quickly rushed back to his bare feet. "I said I was sorry," he mumbled to the cracks in the sidewalk.

Melinda sighed and glanced back at her husband and child, both blissfully ignorant. Muttering incoherently, she turned her full attention to the apparition before her. "So, how can I help you?"

He seemed a bit taken aback by the question. Obviously, this one was slow. "I-er, what exactly do you mean?"

Melinda didn't meet the dead teen's eyes as she pealed out her mantra, opting to nonchalantly roll her eyes through the rustling leaves above. "There must be some reason you're still earthbound. I can help you if you need to talk to someone or–"

"I don't need to talk to anyone," he said, a little too quickly.

She gave him a scrutinizing look then carefully approached the subject. "Listen, if you left something unresolved, you may be trapped here for a while. It could be, I don't know, a friend, a parent, maybe an ex-girlfriend?"

"I said I didn't need to talk to anyone," he snapped, looking worried. He glanced over his shoulder nervously. "I gotta go. My ride's here."

Deep darkness surrounded them. Melinda's frustrated cry was swallowed up by a sudden gush of black that forced her to stumble backward. When she opened her eyes, the teen was gone.

Gone with the shadows.

**And cut! Now we move on to Phase 2 in our lovely little story. Who is this mysterious boy? Where is he** **now? If he is one with the shadows, why is it that Melinda can see him? And why isn't he **_**like**_** them?** **Why am I asking questions only I know the answer to? **

**Okay, so I'm a little rusty when it comes to the show, so I don't know if the shadow problem's resolved** **or whatever. We're going to categorize this under AU so that I don't have to ruin my entire plot.**


End file.
